Ishmael and the Arabs Dwell to the East of Israel (26 November 2015, 14 Kislev, 5776)
The Muslim Arabs are considered to be descended from Ishmael son of Abraham and the Egyptian handmaiden Hagar.
Many of them indeed do have some physical linkage to Ishmael while others have attached themselves to his descendants in the cultural sense.
Hagar was told by an angel concerning her son was about to be born:
Genesis 16 (NASB):
11 The angel of the Lord said to her further,
'Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.
12 'He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone's hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers.'
The brothers of Ishmael are the other descendants of Abraham especially Israel.
The Hebrew text says that Ishmael would dwell "al panai" i.e. "in the face of" all his brothers.
In Biblical directions one would face the east, the back was towards the west, the right was to the south, the left to the north.
The translation of this expression as "to the east of" is therefore acceptable.
The Israelites consist of the Jews of Judah and the Lost Ten Tribes who are the numerical majority.
We identify the Ten Tribes with peoples in western nations.
Ishamel does indeed dwell to the west of them.
It may be objected that the whites of South Africa and of Australia and New Zealand are also identified by us as from the Ten Tribes.
Isaiah spoke of the Ten tribes and located part of them in the Land of Sinim. This refers to Australia and New Zealand.
See:
Land of Sinim.
The Lost Ten Tribes and Australia
http://www.britam.org/Proof/geo/geoAustralia.html
Bible Codes: Australia and New Zealand
http://www.britam.org/BibleCodes.html
Isaiah 49:
12 Behold, these will come from afar;
And lo, these will come from the north and from the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.
In reply we may say that the Israelites in Australia and New Zealand came from Western Europe and that is still the region (along with North America) where most of them are to be found.This point regarding Ishmael (the Arabs) being of necessity to the east of Israel and therefore most Israelites to the west of them needs to be viewed in the context of other geographical indications:
The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel were to be located at the Ends of the Earth: Isaiah 24:16, 26:15, 41:8-9 43:6 49:6. This means areas like North America, New Zealand, Australia, and the geographical extremities of the continental masses such as South Africa, Scandinavia, the West European coastline, and the British Isles. There were to be in Islands such as Ireland and Britain (Isaiah 24:15, 49:6 60:9 Jeremiah 31: 9-10). They were also to be on the Thighs, Peninsulas, and Coasts (Jeremiah 31:8) such as the North Sea coastline (France, Belgium, the Netherlands) and Scandinavia. They were to be associated with Tarshish (Isaiah 60:9) meaning the Atlantic Ocean Area. They were to be ESPECIALLY associated with areas to the WEST of the Land of Israel (Isaiah 24:14, Hosea 1:10). This ties in with the Israelites being to the West of Ishmael and the Arabs since it was prophesied that Ishmael would lie to the east of his brethren (Genesis 16:12). They would be located mainly to the north and west i.e. the Northwest of the Land of Israel (Isaiah 49:12). In the End Times a good portion would be in the North Land (Jeremiah 3:18Â 31: 6-10) which may simply be another parameter for the western and northwestern areas. Some of them would also be in the "Land of Sinim" (Isaiah 49:12) meaning Australia and New Zealand. Their places would be the Best (Atziliyah) and most noble ones (Isaiah 41: 9) meaning the most salubrious and habitable areas. They would also be in Zarephath, meaning France and Britain (Obadiah 1:20). These verses are not referring to different areas but rather the same places from differing vantage points. We must seek an ethnic group located in areas that fit all of the given descriptions. Only the English-speaking and related peoples fit the bill! These are mostly to the north and west of the Land of the Land of Israel but some are elsewhere as it was said they would be in Many Waters i.e. Several Oceans (Numbers 24:7). A stringline of megalithic Monuments and Dolmens was to be used as historical proof of their Pathway of Migration (Jeremiah 31:21).